Helpful – You’ll take-away practical advice that will help you get better at what you do.

We rate each piece of content on a scale of 1–10 with regard to these two core criteria. Our rating helps you sort the titles on your reading list from adequate (5) to brilliant (10). Books we rate below 5 won’t be summarized. Here's what the ratings mean:

5 –Solid. A helpful and/or enlightening book, inspite of its obvious shortcomings. For instance, it may be offer decent advice in some areas but be repetitive or unremarkable in others.
6 – Notable. A helpful and/or enlightening book that stands out by at least one aspect, e.g. is particularly well structured.
7 – Good. A helpful and/or enlightening book that combines two or more noteworthy strengths, e.g. contains uncommonly novel ideas and presents them in an engaging manner.
8 – Very good. A helpful and/or enlightening book that has a substantial number of outstanding qualities without excelling across the board, e.g. presents the latest findings in a topical field and is written by a renowned expert but lacks a bit in style.
9 – Superb. A helpful and/or enlightening book that is extremely well rounded, has many strengths and no shortcomings worth mentioning.
10 – Brilliant. A helpful and/or enlightening book that, in addition to meeting the highest standards in all pertinent aspects, stands out even among the best. Often an instant classic and must-read for everyone.
While the rating tells you how good a book is according to our two core criteria, it says nothing about its particular defining features. Therefore, we use a set of 20 qualities to characterize each book by its strengths:

Applicable – You’ll get advice that can be directly applied in the workplace or in everyday situations.Analytical – You’ll understand the inner workings of the subject matter.Background – You’ll get contextual knowledge as a frame for informed action or analysis.Bold – You’ll find arguments that may break with predominant views.Comprehensive – You’ll find every aspect of the subject matter covered.Concrete Examples – You’ll get practical advice illustrated with examples of real-world applications or anecdotes.Eloquent – You’ll enjoy a masterfully written or presented text.Engaging – You’ll read or watch this all the way through the end.Eye opening – You’ll be offered highly surprising insights.For beginners – You’ll find this to be a good primer if you’re a learner with little or no prior experience/knowledge.For experts – You’ll get the higher-level knowledge/instructions you need as an expert.Hot Topic – You’ll find yourself in the middle of a highly debated issue.Innovative – You can expect some truly fresh ideas and insights on brand-new products or trends.Insider’s take – You’ll have the privilege of learning from someone who knows her or his topic inside-out.Inspiring – You’ll want to put into practice what you’ve read immediately.Overview – You’ll get a broad treatment of the subject matter, mentioning all its major aspects.Scientific – You’ll get facts and figures grounded in scientific research.Visionary – You’ll get a glimpse of the future and what it might mean for you.Well structured – You’ll find this to be particularly well organized to support its reception or application.

*getAbstract is summarizing much more than books. We look at every kind of content that may matter to our audience: books, but also articles, reports, videos and podcasts. What we say here about books applies to all formats we cover.

Qualities

Innovative

Applicable

Recommendation

Managing an organization is an awesome challenge during the best of times, but far harder in the worst of times. Every process and problem becomes infinitely more difficult when a disaster strikes, be it an act of terrorism, an industrial emergency, fire, flood, earthquake, hurricane, corporate crime, scandal, epidemic, mass murder – you name it. Alas, the old saw that anything that can go wrong will go wrong is often true. Is your organization prepared? Studying this book by crisis expert Laurence Barton is a good way to get ready. He details practical, time-tested responses to disasters of all types. Most crises arrive without warning, so solid preparation is vital, and denial will get you nowhere fast. If you are a CEO, a communications professional or a senior executive, getAbstract advocates reading this very practical book – before the deluge.

About the Author

Laurence Barton, Ph.D., is a crisis management expert who has handled more than 1,200 crisis incidents worldwide. He is a management professor at The American College, Bryn Mawr, Pa.

Summary

Are You Ready for a Crisis?

Few organizations are prepared for crises or ready to handle disasters. Indeed, many are incompetent at crisis planning, management and communications. Here are some prime examples:

Corporate thieves stole millions of customer credit card records from TJX, the corporate parent of Marshall’s and T.J. Maxx retailers, due to its inadequate security system. When the media asked about the theft, TJX reps hid behind “confidentiality.” The company also failed to notify customers promptly.

In 2004, an employee at Friendly’s Ice Cream Restaurant in Arlington, Mass., came down with hepatitis. As a result, thousands of diners immediately needed immunoglobulin injections. The media jumped on it. Alas, Friendly’s treated the event too casually, so people stopped eating at the suddenly “unfriendly” outlet, which soon closed.

During a Dateline taping for NBC, reporter Brian Ross showed Wal-Mart CEO David Glass an NBC video reporting that small Indian and Pakistani children were working in brutal sweatshops run by Wal-Mart subcontractors. The kids were sewing clothes later marketed as “Made in America.” Ross asked Glass...